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Flipboard, the Latest Mega Developer to Monetize With In-App Ads

As a mobile developer, there are various methods of monetizing your apps. Having said that, we are obviously big fans of the advertising model, simply because developers have the most potential to generate serious revenue with advertising. We already talked about some of the big names who have adopted this model, you can read the list here.

If we had to name one app that is the most exciting and innovative project for the iPad, it would have to be Flipboard. If not for the company’s rock star CEO and Founder, Mike McCue, then because of its revolutionary user interface that truly brings the magazine experience to the digital world.

Flipboard has been a huge success pretty much from day one and the company recently released an update to the app that both sped things up a bit and added some great new social features.

Well, now Flipboard is in the news again, this time for launching its first advertising initiative within the app. The new project is in collaboration with magazine giant Condé Nast. According to Kara Swisher of the WSJ, the first phase will include branded magazines within Flipbaord by major companies like Lexus and American Express, and will appear in The New Yorker, Wired and Bon Appetit with additional titles expected in the future, Kara reports.

Flipboard has struck some impressive deals in the past with big publishers, including the most recent partnership with Oprah Winfrey on the OWN cable network.

Now, this new advertising partnership is big news for many reasons. Of course, the mobile advertising industry is so huge that it is no surprise when big developers go down that route. The important part of this announcement is that Flipboard, the app that offers such a superior user experience is now going to include ads in within its interface.

When approaching developers to integrate our cross-platform SDK, one of the most common responses is the concern that ads will damage the UX of the app. Of course, this is a legitimate concern that is primarily based on advertising patterns we see on the Web. We have all encountered great sites that overdo it with ads and pretty much destroy the entire experience of reading the site. Developers who work hard on creating a superior app, do not want to damage and pollute it with annoying and intrusive ads.

It is for this reason that we focus on optimizing the location and content found within our apps, and we also target the user based on location and the type of app they are using. All this contributes to the superior nature of our ads. Mobile advertising done right, not only does not damage the user experience, it actually enhances it.

As Mike McCue said, “In many cases, people often look to magazines for the advertising,”, and that is what the company hopes to achieve with Flipboard. The ads will be so relevant and designed so well, that they will not only not interfere with the user experience, they will actually enhance it.

Next up for Flipboard is most likely an iPhone app, and who knows, maybe even an Android tablet-optimized Flipboard?

Please share your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter, Google+, or Facebook where we are always listening.In addition, to sign up with inneractive and start monetizing your free apps now, click here.